The Time to Come
by arabiasil
Summary: While visiting Elrond, Liam discovers a small village in distress. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!


The Time To Come By Arabiasil  
  
I hope you enjoy my little Christmas story. All flaming will be ignored and I will pray for you. If you don't want to suffer that terrible fate, don't flame. As usual all Tolkien's stuff is his and my stuff is mine.  
  
Liam whistled happily as he walked through the forest with his gift. He had not forgotten the little twin he had saved from a wolf. Today he was bringing her and her sister two slender mithril chains to hang their "stars" from, his gifts to them in celebration of Yule.  
  
He smiled to himself. He had gotten several strange looks from Elrond's sons when they first heard him whistling. It was a habit he picked up over the years. It seemed the more contact he had with humans the more habits he picked up. And the more his affection for the human race grew. He had never understood his people's disdain for humanity. He found them to be an amazing race. Such determination and spirit caught up in such a short life. It was a wonder to him how creative and giving humans were when they only had such a short span of years to realize their own dreams. Yet they often took time to see to the dreams and needs of others. He felt nothing but admiration for them.  
  
He heard the sound of children's voices and quickened his pace. His face lit up in a smile as he turned a bend in the forest path, preparing to greet his young friend. But the sight before him wiped the smile from his face and stopped him in his tracks. The twins were in a clearing gathering apples. Their clothes hung loosely about their thin bodies. They had a small basket beside them and they were gathering the shriveled apples left on the ground and putting them carefully in the basket as if they were made of gold.  
  
"This should not be." Liam thought fiercely. "In my court there is enough to eat and more." He watched in frustration as the two twins finished gathering the small, shriveled apples from the ground and walked back towards the village. A chill wind made them shiver. Frowning, Liam willed a warmer wind of his own to blow over the children, warming them until they made it back into their house at the edge of the village.  
  
Frowning with worry, Liam made his way to the center of the village, using the houses as cover. What he saw there made his chest heave with anger. The village storehouse had been burned to the ground. An orc arrow hung from the burned door hinge.  
  
Liam's beautiful face burned with rage. His eyes blazed with elven anger. Orcs! And to leave these people with nothing to sustain them in this winter weather! Barely able to contain his anger, he strode quickly towards the pasture where he knew the people kept their cattle. When he got there all that greeted him was the bare bones of what was left of the villager's only means of support. As he stood there a wind rustled his cloak as he tried to shutter his anger. Despite his best efforts to contain his rage a tree limb cracked and fell off of a dead tree and landed on the ground with a loud thump.  
  
Making up his mind he quickly moved back towards the village, filing away for now the pattern of the orc's footprints that had ravaged this small village. He would deal with them later. Right now he had to make sure these people did not starve to death while others were feasting in celebration.  
  
He stopped just outside the village taking a count of the houses. He circled the village several times until he was sure of the number of people there. Then he quickly left the village and, surveying the area found what he needed. There was a large ravine near the village with plenty of water and grazing and only one entrance. He ran down the forest path that he had once traveled with Elrond's sons. In a few minutes he had located the large herd of deer that grazed in the area. Mocking the sound of a wolf pack he drove them towards the ravine. When he had them all safely inside he shut his eyes and concentrated, glowing with power. A huge boulder near the entrance suddenly shifted and fell directly in the entrance, effectively blocking the herd's escape.  
  
Satisfied with his work he smiled and then looked skyward, his elven eyes seeing miles away. He finally sighted what he was looking for. He sent out a mental call and in a few minutes a large flock of geese was winging it's way towards him. As they flew overhead, he commanded them to fly into the large barn at the edge of the village. Running ahead of them, he quickly opened the door and the squawking geese flew into the huge barn. Liam quickly shut the door and disappeared into the trees before the startled villagers could come see what all the commotion was about.  
  
As he sat in the thick branches watching the surprised humans another thought came to him. He stood on the branch and looked out over the small valley. His eyes lit on a grove of apple trees near the creek that ran directly into the village pond. Smiling quietly to himself, he covertly moved from tree to tree until he was out of sight of the villagers and then jumped to the ground. He ran quickly to the creek. The apple trees were on a high bluff well out of reach of the hungry villagers and the cliffs were too treacherous to climb. Rubbing his hands together Liam readied himself for this next miracle. He lifted his hands and, sending a prayer to Iluvatar for help he willed a strong breeze to blow over the trees. He told the trees to let go of their fruit. He had to duck quickly near the cliff to keep from getting pelted with the rain of plump, shiny apples that fell into the creek and were swept into the village pond.  
  
He chuckled with delight at the excited squeals of the children as they caught sight of the bountiful crop.  
  
The whole village gathered about the pond and the barn, talking excitedly as they gazed in wonder at the apples and the barn. Someone came running from the direction of the ravine yelling excitedly about the deer herd trapped there.  
  
Using the bushes as cover Liam moved around behind the villagers and made his way to the main village hall. He quickly slipped inside before anyone saw him. After a moment there was a bright light glowing from under the door and then it winked out. The smell of a delicious feast wafted out from under the door. When the villagers came in they would find a sumptuous feast waiting on several long ornate tables that weren't there before. There would be a place setting for each person in the village and beside each plate would be a small red velvet bag with several gold coins in it.  
  
Liam slipped back out the door, a little slower than he had entered and tiredly made his way to the twin's house. He left his presents of the mithril chains on the twin's pillows and then slipped out a window and started back down the forest path. He stopped and looked back at the village. The sounds of excited laughter and singing replacing the deafening silence that had been there a few hours ago. He smiled and, heaving a tired sigh, started back to Rivendell.  
  
Later that night at the Yule feast Elrond noticed Liam yawning several times as he ate. The twins started to accuse him of spending his nights singing under Sareei's window until they caught the flash in his eyes and the raised eyebrow. Isilme hide a smirk as the twins quickly changed the subject.  
  
Elrond watched Liam as he yawned sleepily. "Liam, you do look tired. Perhaps you should rest."  
  
"I shall my lord." replied Liam.  
  
"What did you do today to make yourself so tired, Liam?" Elladan wanted to know.  
  
Liam smiled to himself. "I took a long walk down the forest path."  
  
Elrohir frowned. "Not that old path that no one goes to anymore? What could you have possibly found of interest there?"  
  
"You would be surprised what you can find if you look down the right path, my friend." said Liam. "Did you know there is a small village at the end of that path? And that they have been attacked by orcs of late and had no supplies for the cold weather."  
  
Elrond frowned as he looked around his sumptuous table. "We should send them some supplies immediately. Tonight!"  
  
Liam held up a calming hand. "There is no need to go tonight my lord. Tomorrow would suffice."  
  
"But," Elrond's frown deepened as he looked around his table. "I cannot sit here and feast while they starve. The food would stick in my throat!"  
  
Liam smiled at Elrond's concern. "Please do not worry, Lord Elrond. They have been given an abundance of food for the night. Tomorrow will suffice as well."  
  
Elrond gave Liam an appraising look for a moment. "And to what miracle do they owe their thanks for that?" he asked watching Liam with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"A miracle indeed my lord." said Liam lightly, hoping to change the subject. His father had taught him long ago that one does not shout one's good deeds to the stars. They are to be done in secret, not for show.  
  
"I agree." said Glorfindel, smiling at Liam from across the table. "A miracle indeed. I was walking that path myself just this afternoon and found that village."  
  
Liam looked up, startled.  
  
Glorfindel continued. "It seems that a flock of wild geese lost their way and flew into a large barn and was trapped there. And a herd of deer appeared to have gotten themselves trapped in a ravine not far from the village. And just then, another miracle came floating into the village pond. An armada of apples seemed to have fallen into the creek and made their way to a crowd of hungry children on the bank." Glorfindel paused, a kind smile on his beautiful face. "It seems they have guardian watching over them."  
  
He smiled at Liam again. "Don't you agree Lord Liam? Someone is watching over them."  
  
Much to his embarrassment the tips of Liam's ears turned a light shade of pink. He cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, Illuvatar does indeed watch over them, just as he watches over us all."  
  
"And just before I left," continued Glorfindel "I could have sworn I caught the smell of a most delicious dinner coming from the town hall."  
  
Liam cleared his throat and poked at a mushroom on his plate. "Perhaps the women were in the hall cooking a Yule feast my lord." he explained.  
  
"All the women were outside." said Glorfindel quietly.  
  
Liam pushed his mushroom nervously across his plate.  
  
Elrond smiled kindly at him. "Well, perhaps Illuvatar performed a miracle for these people. After all, it is the season for miracles, is it not, Lord Liam?"  
  
Liam looked up and smiled gratefully at Elrond. "Yes, my lord it is. And I feel that someday we may all see the biggest miracle of all."  
  
"And what is that?" asked Elladan curiously.  
  
Liam hesitated. "I had a dream last night, a wonderful dream. I dreamed Iluvatar was born in a stable and that all of Morgoth's work had been undone by His birth. There was a bright star shining in the heavens and I felt at peace, truly at peace in my soul. It was as if the world had been rescued by a mighty warrior, rescued straight out of the jaws of death." His gray eyes glowed as he spoke, his heart overflowing. "I cannot wait to see that day. A day when Elves, and Men, and Dwarves, and Hobbits would all be brothers and there would be no more reason to fear evil, for it will have lost it's power over us."  
  
"You speak like Gandalf, Liam." said Elrohir smiling.  
  
"Perhaps." responded Liam softly. "But I know what I saw in that dream will come to pass. Perhaps not while I walk the earth, but it will come to pass."  
  
He turned tiredly to Elrond. "I think that perhaps I will lie down, my lord. I am a bit tired."  
  
"Liam," said Elrohir, concerned "I did not mean to offend you."  
  
Liam favored him with a tired smile. "I am not offended Elrohir. I am just tired so I think I will go to my room and rest."  
  
Everyone bid him goodnight as he made his way from the hall. He went to his room and prepared for bed. As he lay down the light of Earendil caught his eye as it shone over the trees. He lay looking at the bright star for a long while. Just before he drifted off to sleep he whispered softly "I know You will come. I will watch and wait." He drifted gently off to a peaceful sleep with many pleasant dreams.  
  
Have a wonderful, blessed Christmas and a happy New Year. God Bless.  
  
Arabiasil 


End file.
